LOS ANGELES — Since UCLA’s top-rated freshman class stepped foot on campus in Westwood, questions of how long the Bruins’ top two prospects – Shabazz Muhammad and Kyle Anderson – would stay before declaring for the NBA Draft have continually lingered.

After Saturday’s game, however, they were brought to the forefront after UCLA coach Ben Howland declared what many had long expected about Muhammad’s status.

“That was his last game at Pauley Pavilion, no doubt about it,” Howland said after the Bruins’ victory over Arizona.

But while Muhammad denied that any decision has officially been made, his plan to jump to the NBA has long seemed like a done deal. Anderson, however, has firmly remained a wild card.

On Monday, however, in an interview with the Register, Anderson’s father, Kyle Anderson Sr., made it clear that his son is leaning towards a second year in Westwood.

“Kyle has already spoken to me about coming back, and him, Jordan (Adams), and Tony Parker are going to work their butts off and get an apartment, and all that stuff,” Anderson Sr. said. “I do think he’s leaning towards coming back, but with that said, the way he’s playing right now, the mock drafts might not see it or write it, but I think his draft status is moving up with his offensive aggressiveness lately.

“Mentally, he’s prepared to come back.”

After starting the year slow – which no doubt affected his potential draft status – Anderson has looked significantly more comfortable recently and averaged a staggering 19 points and 11 rebounds per game in the Bruins’ two games last week, earning him his first Pac-12 Player of the Week honor. That kind of performance was enough to give some pause to whether Anderson could be ready to leave after this season, and as Anderson Sr. reiterated, his son’s draft stock could still change with a big performance in the Pac-12 Tournament and NCAA Tournament.

Anderson and his father have only discussed the question of his draft stock generally and won’t fully discuss the decision until after the season ends. But Anderson Sr. seemed to have a good idea of the parameters in which his son would need to be selected to leave after just one year at UCLA.

“If he were outside (pick number) 20, I’d say he has to go back,” Anderson Sr. said. “I think if he comes back a year, I think he’s an All-American, and I think he’s top five, I really do.”

Howland refused to say one way or another what he would council Anderson to do after the season ends, but he did discuss his plans for Anderson if he does come back – plans that include him being the team’s primary point guard with Larry Drew II having graduated.

“A year from now, provided that Kyle’s back, which I obviously hope …. Kyle having the ball in his hands more is even going to make him stand out more,” Howland said. “A year from now, I’m not going to be playing him at the four on defense. He’s strictly going to be guarding a three with a one on offense. I think that’s going to help prepare him. He’s still got to get better at chasing guys around and trailing guys – that’s what you have to do in the NBA. You’re not going to play, unless you’re can defend your position.”

Before Anderson arrived, the expectation was that he would compete for the point guard spot this season. And despite Howland’s tentative plans to play him at point next season, Anderson Sr. says he’ll be working with his son solely on skills needed to succeed as a forward, where he believes Anderson will likely play in the NBA. So playing the point won’t play a part in whether he’ll return or not.

Staying an extra year -- especially with Muhammad gone and Adams reaffirming to reporters on Monday that he’ll be around next season -- could afford Anderson the opportunity to be a featured player on UCLA’s offense, which could send him shooting up draft boards, given his unusual combination of size and distribution skills.

For now, Anderson has made it clear that he won’t be making a decision any time soon, especially with the opportunity for so much to change in the coming weeks. He said on Monday that he didn’t want to have “one foot in the NBA and one foot here in Westwood.”

But judging by his father’s comments, it seems Anderson, unlike Muhammad, will have both feet in Westwood for at least one more season.

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